Battle of the Red Delta
The Battle of the Red Delta was a major battle of the First Narik War. Around 160,000 people died as the Narikatonite Empire attempted to capture the Red River ports from the Darnussian Alliance. Planning The Imperial command decided to attack the ports around the delta of the Red River. The Red River was the umbilical cord of the Darnussian resistance, as it provided the majority of supplies for Red Stad, as well as being the centre point of the split in the country. The Red River was used by Dorvish forces for placing arms and men deep into Darnussian territory, and it was almost vital for the rebels that it was held. If the Imperial military could capture the ports around the mouth of the river, then it would surely be only a matter of weeks before the Darnussian resistance collapsed after being cut off. The attack was set for 1 June 3128. Planning took 6 months to complete, as a full seaborne invasion was planned, with assistance from airborne units. First wave The assault began at 3:00am on 1 June 3128, with a 5-hour artillery bombardment of the coast. This caught the few Darnussians and Dorvish men in the town by surprise, and killed a significant number, but in fact, the most the bombardment did was kill civilians. Only around 750 soldiers were killed by the 5-hour artillery attack, compared with 4,500 civilians. All it did was alert the Darnussians something was up, and resulted in masses of men, both from quieter sections on the front and in reserve, from charging towards the Red Delta to defend the river. The main attack began at 8:00am, when around 10,000 Imperial troops attempted to land at points all along the Delta. It was a disaster. With at least 3,000 being killed before any beachhead had been established, as Imperial soldiers were cut down on the sand. The airborne troops didn't fare much better, many being shot out of the sky, and the rest being set upon as soon as they landed. A major beachhead wasn't established until around 7:00pm that day, and around 5,000 Imperial soldiers had already been killed. However, the masses of Dorvish and Darnussian troops who had massed around the delta prevented any push inland or towards an objective. Only 3 (Davodorf, Wehrner and Boden) out of the 10 towns intended for capture were actually taken by the Imperial military. Between the 2-10 June, the Imperials held their ground, while coming under sustained fire from all around. A fresh attack was attempted on the 11, resulting in massive casualties, mainly for the Narikatonites. By this point, both sides had dug in, resulting in yet again another state of trench warfare, with the Imperial forces pumping in as many as 100,000 men in that single tiny area. A third major assault began on 1 July, with similar results. The Darnussians attempted to retake the delta on 10 July, but were met with a hail of machine gun fire. Further attacks On 22 July, a major Darnussian offensive was launched, and much ground was taken, under sheer weight of men. The Dorvish air force battered the Imperial forces into submission, as Darnussian ground troops swarmed in, and captured Davodorf. However, the Imperials were now cornered in the small port towns of Boden and Wehrner. The days between 25 July and 5 October were one long bombardment of the town. There was virtually no building at all left standing, and the towns were completely flattened. The fourth and final major push occurred on 5 October, with thousands of Darnussian fighters swarming into the towns, and violent street fighting occurred. On 8 October, the Imperial military ordered a complete evacuation of all troops, and while some ships escaped the firestorm created by the Dorvish airforce, only around 850 out of the 10,000 men left in the towns managed to escape. The rest were captured when there was a mass surrender on the 10th. Aftermath The result was a crushing blow for the Imperial military, who lost up to 75,000 men dead, missing or captured. The Darnussians had nearly 100,000 men killed, and a further 10,000 missing or captured. The number of wounded was estimated to be around 250,000 from both sides. It was a major propaganda opportunity for the DA, who hailed the 'hero's of the Red River', and the 'saviours of Darnussia'. The Imperial commander who led the attack was forced to resign in disgrace. Category:Narik Wars